2. P E A R L S of W i S T E M Project Overview . . .
3. PEARLS of WiSTEM
PEARLS =
Performance-based Education of Aviation and Real-Life Stories of
WiSTEM =
Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
4. Goals
To promote young womens interest in STEM-based careers through an early, positive exposure to ISE and science-inquiry through performance-based learning and the production of digital-media performances
5. Goals
To investigate whether an innovative model of media-production, in which inter-generational, inter-disciplinary teams of young women collaborate with STEM-professionals, education-practitioners, and media personnel can significantly increase the amount of high-quality ISE-media available to, and viewed by, grades 5-9 youths (with special emphasis on underrepresented youths)
6. What influences an individual to choose a STEM-based career?
Early influence is most important
Interest should be captured by grades 7-9
Pre-college factors have most impact
Competitive colleges may actually discourage interest
Girls often lose interest by high school
7. What influences an individual to choose a STEM-based career?
Perceived intrinsic value of a profession
Enjoyment of job
Opportunity for individual responsibility to contribute to society
Early and rewarding exposure to profession
8. What pre-college, informal setting is most appealing to young women?
Performance-based inquiry or interactive-drama
Increases student engagement
Promotes long-lasting learning
Builds higher-order thinking skills
Develops individual student accountability
9. What pre-college, informal setting is most appealing to young women?
Performance-based inquiry or interactive-drama because it emphasizes:
Group-learning
The forming of friendships
The arts
Self-expression
Literary modalities
10. How can teachers create these positive experiences?
Problem-Based Learning and Learning-by-Design (LBD)
Work on open-ended problems
Attempt to solve these problems in cooperative work groups
11. How can teachers create these positive experiences?
Critical components:
Ill-structured problem is presented
The problem-solving is student-centered with teacher facilitation
Learning occurs in small groups
Information is acquired through self-directed study
12. Theoretical Framework
13. Action Plan - Overview
Phase 1: Recruiting and Retaining Volunteers
Phase 2: Team Formation and Design of Deliverables
